Release that Man

“Huh? Why is the cart so smelly?” The cleaner who had been off the day before frowned with dissatisfaction after she returned to her post. “Did someone use it to store feces? This is a cleaning cart, not a toilet cleaner…”

“Sister Chen, it’s wonderful to see you back!” Another middle-aged woman who also worked as a cleaner put the white coat on. As she prepared to work, she grumbled, “Your cart is kinda smelly. By the way, who was the young man who stood in for you yesterday? He refused to say a word, and I heard from the manager that he did not do that good of a job. He seemed to run after doing his job halfway… Sigh, today’s youth has no sense of responsibility. I’m afraid the manager might come to talk to you later.”

“The young man who stood in for me yesterday?” Sister Chen was baffled. “Yesterday, Xiao Xu told me that my son got into a car accident. I searched the hospital for the whole day and couldn’t find him. I only managed to call my son later at night, and I didn’t even have the time to call someone to help me take over my shift!”

“Huh? Then, what happened?”

The two middle-aged women chatted as they went to work. By then, Cedrick had already obtained the key to another car, and the unconscious Xu He had been deposited on the backseat. Xu He woke up once. Other than his limbs that were tied, his eyes were not covered. After all, things would be exposed once they reached Wyoming, so Cedrick was not worried that his face might be remembered.

Therefore, life was hard for this couple. Cedrick’s Chinese was not good, and Xu He’s English was not up to par. One was focused on driving, and the other roared until his throat hurt before realizing that the man did not understand Chinese. Therefore, he could not even ask for water. Even though Cedrick did not understand the language, he could read the tone. Being scolded for so long would ruin anyone’s mood, so even though he understood the term, ‘water’, he refused to communicate with the man and acted like he could not understand anything.

After all, they would reach Chaohai in another ten hours.

A little thirst won’t kill anyone.

…

Ye Shuang’s group travelled there via the plane. They waited for a while at the designated hotel. Soon, they saw Xu He with cracked lips and the dispirited Cedrick who had been driving for so long.

They had informed Zuo Yuanhang already, so they went up to the room directly. After dropping Xu He on the floor, Cedrick jumped into the shower.

“At least, put the man on the sofa first. The yacht is not going to start until night falls.”

Xu Jian cared about his uncle. Even though this relative of his was a disappointment, they were blood-related. Furthermore, as bad as Xu He was, at least he had always been nice to Xu Jian. Even though the man failed to be a good example, that was because the man’s worldview was slanted from the beginning—it was not because he purposely wanted to teach Xu Jian the wrong thing in life.

Zuo Yuanhang was also in the room. The man had a habit of controlling his schedule tightly. Even though he was not in his own office, he managed to create the atmosphere of a serious office meeting using just a laptop.

“To be specific, the yacht will depart at 20:30.” With a gold-rimmed spectacle on his nose, Zuo Yuanhang typed on the laptop and explained without lifting his eyes from the screen, “My car will arrive punctually at 19:30 and depart at 19:35. The journey from here to the yacht will take twenty minutes, and in the thirty minutes that follow, I expect all of you to find your room on the yacht… Remember, I do not wish for any of my passengers to see a crazed man yelling that he has been kidnapped.”

When he finished, Zuo Yuanhang raised his eyes to scan everyone in the room with his domineering presence.

“…” Xu Jian.

Ye Shuang was unfazed as she went to sit across from Zuo Yuanhang with smile. “Brother Zuo, are you still angry? This time, we’ve troubled you, but we worked together so happily last time. Plus, there is no need for such formality between us, right?”

“No, I still think being formal is better.” Zuo Yuanhang returned to work expressionlessly. “In ten minutes, my assistant will come grab me. I hope you will not leave this room before the time of departure to prevent creating trouble for both parties.”

Brother Zuo was a man of his word. If he said it was ten minutes, then it would not be late by even a second. The assistant came punctually to fetch the man. After Zuo Yuanhang disappeared out the door, taking his oppressive presence with him, Xu Jian finally sighed in relief, holding his arm over his chest. “…The man sure is cold.”

“Zuo Yuanhang is the local king in Chaohai, and he single-handedly ruined the organization’s plan here, not leaving any survivors. So, what would you expect?” Ye Shuang sighed.

“Even though I’ve heard you talk about it before, it’s even more shocking in person. By the way…” Xu Jian nodded with some trace of fear before turning his head to ask, “I remember you once said the man is hard to deal with, so with his personality, why would he help us this time?”

“One, we have worked together in the past before. After all, the organization was coming after his family back then. Two, it was Brother Han who negotiated with Brother Zuo, so I assume some conditions have been agreed upon between the two?” Ye Shuang did not have any interest in following the details. “It’s great that we can get his help. If Zuo Yuanhang is willing to help, then this should go smoothly.”

The effect of ether at most could only last for hours. Even if it was breathed in directly, the maximum unconscious time was twelve hours.

Xu He’s nose and mouth had been covered by an ether-soaked towel when he was first dragged out of the restaurant. When they were driving down the high-road, out of frustration from the yelling, Cedrick had given him another shot, and now, it was about time for him to wake up again.

When Cedrick came out from the toilet and put on a new suit, Xu He’s eyes were flickering open.

The first thing he saw was his nephew. Oh, he felt so safe!

The next thing he saw was the strange decoration, and his mind was blurry for a few seconds before turning up with caution.

The third thing he saw was Cedrick…

“That’s the guy!” Xu He bounced on the sofa like a beached fish, almost slithering onto the ground… Yes, almost! If not for the tied limbs, the man probably would have skipped to the window already. It was also then that Xu He realized that his situation was not that positive. Even though his nephew was in the room, it did not look like he was there to save him. If anything, Xu Jian looked like he was working with his kidnapper.

Xu He widened his eyes in shock, and he used this brain that was still waking up to figure things out to the best of his ability. When he confirmed the saddening truth, his heart was filled with a sense of betrayal, and he became angered from the indignation. “Xu Jian, what is going on here!”

Xu Jian shivered from the loud scolding. Even though he was already mentally prepared, he still turned subconsciously toward Ye Shuang. It was then that Xu He realized that there was a fourth person in the room.

“Am I that invisible?” Ye Shuang picked up the hotel meal that was heated in the oven and placed it on the table before sitting down on the sofa naturally. “Uncle Xu, actually, I knew what kind of work you’re doing from the beginning.”

“What do you mean?” Xu He frowned.

“Money-laundering.” By this point, Ye Shuang did not need to dance circle with him anymore, so she decided to clarify everything at once. “Uncle Xu, you sure are bold. I really did not expect you to do something like this, even trying to drag Xu Jian into it as well.”

Xu He instantly turned his angry gaze to the traitor Xu Jian. He was certain that it was Xu Jian who had sold him out or else Ye Shuang would not have known so many secrets.

Naturally, Xu Jian felt incredibly wronged. “…Uncle, Xiao Shuang has known about this for a long time already. She was the one who ruined our plan with An Corps.”

Xu He’s face turned white.

With a sigh, Xu Jian confirmed, “It’s real, uncle.”

“You have been selling me out from the very beginning‽” After confirming that Xu Jian was working together with Ye Shuang, Xu He finally lost his temper. The topic slowly derailed. It was just an introduction of the background, but things were moving further and further away. If Ye Shuang did not interrupt, they would run away with the topic.

Ye Shuang had to say something to grab the two’s attention. “Uncle Xu, if you want my opinion, be thankful that your nephew came to his senses earlier, or else he would have ended up as cannon fodder like you today.”

Xu He turned his fiery gaze over, but Ye Shuang continued completely unaffected. “Your organization’s base in Europe is already in danger. I don’t know about the American one, but I don’t believe things will be looking so good, or else you would not have lost connection with the contact… The situation here is even worse. Chaohai is done, Xiang Jiang is being cleaned up by Lin family as we speak, and I don’t think you’ll be able to revive the Xi Hwa Organization in San Lin City. Even if things are salvageable in other cities, the most conservative prediction puts your loss at half.”

As Ye Shuang said these things slowly and clearly, Xu He’s expression also slowly shifted. Even though he knew that Ye Shuang knew about the organization, he did not expect the girl to know so much. In fact, she knew even more than he did.

“There will be chaos within your organization soon. Whether you’ll be able to escape unscathed is an unknown,” Ye Shuang said plainly. “You should just give up the Xi Hwa Organization. Even if you take over, it’s just an empty shell. We are sending you overseas, so you’d better figure out why we’re doing that, but even if you don’t, things are not going to change… But Uncle, listen to me. If you suddenly disappear for a month at a time like this, when you return, even if you want to expose us, do you think your organization will still believe you? Or rather, do you think they will give you the chance to speak?”

Of course, not. Xu He’s heart instantly sank.